ORIGIN

Engine Swap Dreams: Motorless 1965 Honda S600

This 1965 Honda S600 roadster is sold without an engine, a few missing but unspecified parts, a partially stripped and otherwise worn out interior, but what appears to be a solid, straight, and largely complete body. We’re fans of all S series cars, but roadsters and 600 models in particular thanks to their greater cabin space and ingenious, dual chain trailing arm rear drive/suspension setup. An S2000 swap would be an obvious transplant into this RHD example, but that would involve using a less novel rear end—either way, it’s fun to dream about the possibilities. Find it here on eBay in Chino Hills, California for $7,500 OBO.

​White is Japan’s national racing color, and many were painted as such from the factory. Though not specifically said to be original or not, it’s possible that the faded, oxidized looking paint this car wears may be original. Bumpers, headlight trim, grille, bumpers, and even the OEM wheels have been chromed, likely somewhat recently as part of an abandoned restoration project. Provided the work is decent this is a plus, though we’d definitely sandblast the wheels back to bare steel before having them powder coated if it were ours to finish.

​The cabin shows what are probably the original seats in heavily torn and tattered condition, though the backs of each may not be beyond restoration if treated carefully. Door cards are either long gone or inventoried elsewhere and not mentioned, though we’d put our money on the former. The dash looks largely intact with all instruments including the original tach and its 10,000 RPM redline, though the ventilation and light controls housed in a console forward of the shifter seem to be missing–as is the shifter itself. The roof mechanism remains in place but will need a new top, and the beautiful, factory fitted steering wheel will need a new wood rim made.

​The car’s 4-speed transmission is still in place, making restoration to original spec a lot easier than it might be otherwise. Finding the correct 606 CC, twin cam, quad carbed, roller bearing four cylinder will not be easy, but the later S800’s similar but larger 791 CC unit will work as well, as Honda fitted a handful of early examples with its predecessor’s chain drive before switching to the live axle fitted to most. Alternately, how about two CB350 fours joined at the crank for a sub 700 CC V8?

​Hopefully it’s as solid as appearance suggest, as this is definitely a worthy restoration project. If you’ve got a spare S600 motor sitting in a beer cooler somewhere in your garage this might just be a golden opportunity.